Bruce Banner (Earth-616)
When Agamemnon felt it was time to venture out into the world to reconnect with the common people and he appointed Hulk as his replacement. On his first mission as leader he traveled to the Amazon to investigate a new company that was cutting down the rain forest. There, he was jumped by the Juggernaut who was working as an enforcer for the New World Order (NWO) and their leader the Red Skull. He was captured and brainwashed into fighting the Avengers, believing that the Juggernaut was his abusive father. Hulk was able to shake off the mind control when the Juggernaut praised him and he realized that his real father would never show such kindness. The psychic backlash released the creature Piecemeal from his holding container. At this time the Hulk began showing signs of instability when he began referring to himself as Hulk instead of Bruce. As a favor to a former Pantheon member Perseus, Hulk traveled to Lock Ness to investigate reports of a monster in the lake. The monster turned out to be Piecemeal. The Hulk was about to defeat him when Madman interfered. After Perseus was killed, Hulk killed Piecemeal and appeareds to kill Madman but no body was found. Using his new power as leader of the Pantheon, Hulk led a strike against a maximum security prison to free an ex girlfriend who had been falsely imprisoned. Atalanta was kidnapped by the Troyjan called Trauma to be his bride and the Hulk Pantheon set out to get her back. With the help of the Silver Surfer and the Starjammers they attacked the Troyjan home world. Upon arriving they were all shocked when Trauma's father, the Troyjan leader, Lord Armageddon, told them the truth about Agamemnon. If they tried to take Atalana back then the Troyjan's would take back the extended lives of all of the Pantheon. Hulk didn't care about the deal and attacked Trauma, accidentally impaling Trauma on his own shoulder spike. With his last words, Trauma pardoned the Pantheon and asked his father to let them all leave in peace. Maestro The Hulk was taken into the future by Rick Jones' granddaughter Janis to fight his future self, Maestro, who had killed all the heroes and villains on earth and named himself emperor of the post apocalyptic world. Maestro was a tyrant who ruled his people with the fear of death. He had the intelligence of Banner and was twice as strong as the Hulk. Maestro was killed when Hulk sent him back in time to ground zero at the moment the gamma bomb that created him went off. After killing Maestro the Hulk was sent back to the present, haunted by the thought of losing control and becoming Maestro. Soon after this Rick and Marlo were married, at the wedding Betty told Hulk that she wanted to move into the Mount to be with him. After the wedding Hulk was attacked by the disgraced Skrull warrior Talos the Tamed. In an effort to gain back some honor Talos wanted to be killed by earth's strongest warrior. Hulk refused to fight because of how well his relationship with Betty was going and he didn't want to risk losing his temper again. Hulk received news that his old partner Jim Wilson was at an AIDS protest that was getting out of control. He took him back to the Mount to give him treatment but despite the advanced technology he still died. Having discovered the truth about the leader of the Pantheon, Agamemnon, Hulk and the rest of the Pantheon made him stand trial. Agamemnon confirmed that everything the Troyjans had said was true. Then, Agamemnon resurrected all of the dead Pantheon warriors to kill everyone in the Mount. Agamemnon tried to escape but was killed by Atalanta which brought an end to the undead warriors. Achilles, still loyal to Agamemnon, tried killing teamate Ulysses but the bullet ricocheted and hit Betty. The Hulk became so angry that he reverted back to Bruce Banner's body with Hulk's brain. Even in his human form he gave off enough gamma radiation to make Achilles vulnerable and Ulysses killed him. The Pantheon fled their former base and the still mindless Bruce was taken into custody and temporarily placed in the care of Doc Samson while Betty was treated for the bullet wound. Nick Fury took Banner into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody because he was a fugitive. During Bruce's transport Betty died and her soul was given the chance to go to heaven. First she wanted to visit Bruce to see if he still loved her. He calmed down when he saw her and was able to transform and escape. After seeing how important she was to him Betty decided to live and returned to her body. Hulk visited the destroyed Mount and saw a hologram set up by Paris telling him that he was now the leader of the Pantheon and that Hulk was fired. Living under the last name Danner, Hulk and Betty moved to a small town in Florida. To hide his green skin, Hulk wore bandages all over his body and claimed to be a burn victim. Soon after their move a child was killed by a gigantic shadowy figure, and the Hulk's was suspected of the crime because of his size. Upon investigation Hulk found out that the true killer was a deranged old man living in the everglades with the Man-Thing, and rescued a child from the old man. A few days later Hulk and Betty offered their help to a young pregnant homeless girl While at the clinic protesters attacked, and the girl but she was shot and killed. Hulk offered the girls's father his help in bringing her killer to justice. They learned the killer was just a kid who had accidentally shot her when someone pushed him. The father revealed himself to be Speedfreek and tried to kill the kid. Hulk hurled a car battery at Speedfreek which covered him in battery acid burning most of the skin off his face and causing him to flee. While watching the news Hulk saw that the Abomination was fighting cops in the sewers of New York and decided that it was his problem. The homeless were being cleared out because the police commissioner was working for a drug lord that needed the sewers for new drug routes. Hulk traveled to New York and went down into the sewers with the cops to confront him. While Hulk and Abomination were fighting, the cops used the opportunity to clear out the homeless by killing almost all of them. Abomination saw this and snapped. He started killing all of the cops then took his battle with the Hulk to the surface. They crash through the Daily Bugle before the Abomination jumped onto a news copter and crashed it, he used the opportunity to escape while Hulk was distracted. Ghosts of The future An army squad led by Matt Talbot captured Betty. After Hulk saw Matt shoot Betty in both legs, he went so far over the edge so he reverted back to his Banner form. Banner was taken into custody. During a jailbreak Bruce, still with the mind of the Hulk, Banner ran towards a grenade and nearly died when it went off. He was able to transform into the Hulk before he died but shrapnel was left in his brain extremely hindering his intelligence. Seeking help he traveled to Freehold to seek the devices of the Leader to remove the shrapnel. With the Leader dead, the hidden arctic sanctuary Freehold had been placed in the care of Omnibus. Omnibus believed that there would eventually be a nuclear war that would kill everyone on earth so he decided to speed it up by ordering terrorist attacks across the world to cause strain on global relations. He had also mentally controlled many high ranking government officials including Talbot which explained his insane behavior. Jailbait overheard Omnibus's plan and exposed him to the people of Freehold and he was sentenced to death. Hulk decided that the best way to save the world would be to pose as Maestro and claim to be the man behind the terrorist attacks. A psychotic Thor was sent to defeat him. It was a close battle until an atom bomb was dropped on top of them and the Hulk was believed dead by most of the world but he actually used a hidden Pantheon base to survive. Onslaught Traveling through Alaska, Hulk ran into a fleeing Janis. Hulk took a sick Janis to an unused Pantheon base but he was then mentally ordered by Onslaught to find and kill Cable. Cable and Storm were able to free Hulk from Onslaught's control and they joined the rest of the heroes in New York for the final battle. Hulk and Banner were separated after he destroyed Onslaught's body. Banner was among the heroes who sacrificed themselves to destroy Onslaught''Onslaught:Marvel Universe''. and the Savage Hulk was unleashed on the world once again. The army tried to restrain Hulk's unconscious body but he woke up and his body began giving off radiation equivalent to a nuclear bomb and he melted his container to his body. The army tried again to take the frozen Hulk but found that anything that came within five feet of him was melted by radiation so they set up a perimeter to keep civilians away. Betty showed up and it began to rain forcing the civilians to leave and the Hulk broke out of his shell. Moments later Jason the Renegade stepped from the shadows and shot the Hulk with a Pantheon gun which caused the soldiers to panic and begin shooting. He laughed off the bullets and escaped with Janis leaving Betty in tears. Henry Gyrich was approached by Paris with a proposition to take down the Hulk for good, out of options he agreed. The Pantheon attacked Janis and Hulk and appeared to kill him, but it was actually just a mindless cloned body created by the Pantheon. Hector told them later that the Pantheon had become a democracy and that they had outvoted Paris to bring him back into the group. Hulk destroyed their ship and headed towards Washington DC with Janis where she told the military that the Hulk wasn't running anymore, if they attacked him then he would attack a major city in retaliation. While he was traveling through the mid west he and Janis were attacked by the Thunderbolts whom he easily defeated, then he destroyed a dam to fulfill his promise of retaliation. Hulk began having chest pains that would force him to keel over in pain although at the same time he was physically becoming more powerful. Dr. Strange found that because of his split from Banner, Hulk was having excess energy from an alternate universe channeled through him that would eventually result in the destruction of the universe. Under extreme emotional stress Hulk returned to the gamma base where he was created. He was ambushed by the newest person placed in charge of capturing the Hulk, Colonel Cary St. Lawrence. Hulk considered this the ultimate invasion of privacy because he considered the gamma base "his place". He was about to kill her when he had the idea to take over an island in the Florida Keyes which he renamed Hulk Island. He saved the inhabitants from a hurricane and they grew to respect him. A few days after the hurricane Janis showed up with an alternate Hulk that came to Earth-616 when the Hulk was teleported away by Dr. Strange. He offered his help to Hulk but the shrapnel in his brain was making him angry at everything so he fought him until he was taken back to his own time. Hulk was manipulated by Apocalypse into becoming one of his Horsemen. Apocalypse offered to remove the shrapnel from Hulk's brain if he would serve him and he agreed. He battled the Absorbing Man and Juggernaut who were sent by the NWO with Rick and Janis Jones to stop this new Hulk that was using the power of the Celestials. He nearly killed the Absorbing Man and Juggernaut but Rick jumped in and Hulk swung at him. Seeing the crippled body of his best friend caused the Hulk to break free of the mind control and flee in shame. Mercy sensed the Hulk's desire for death and sent him on a path to fight Mr. Hyde, but the Hulk wanted a good death and refused to be killed by what he considered an unworthy foe. Wanting to help put the Hulk out of his misery, Mercy sent him to one of his deadliest enemies, the Abomination. Sulking through New York Hulk found the Abomination but because of all the damage done to his brain recently he hallucinated and saw himself instead and he began letting out all his built up rage from the last few months. Self Destruction After finally being reunited with Banner the Hulk was transported to the site of his birth, the gamma bomb test site. The strain on his body was slowly killing him and he was giving off massive amounts of radiation. Unknowingly the radiation that the Hulk generated was sufficient enough for the Maestro to absorb and return to life. Maestro was taken by trolls to be the newest mind to inhabit the Destroyer. Bruce and General Ross were attacked by the Destroyer and his troll minions. During there battle they made it back out to the desert and the Hulk began losing a lot of blood and the Destroyer stepped in a pool of it. It recognized that Hulk and Maestro were the same being and drew the Hulk's mind inside of it. Hulk was able to outsmart Maestro and crush him under a rockslide. Bruce was brought back to Gamma base by Ross but upon arrival the Hulk came out and tried to start a fight but Ross refused. A confused Hulk decided to calm down turned into Bruce. Bruce established some kind of control over the Hulk and started rebuilding his life with Betty. He even made peace with her father General Ross. Later, the Troyjans attacked and the Bruce and agreed to meet with their leader, Lord Armageddon. After seeing Bruce leave with the aliens the press believed that he had heroicly sacrificed himself to save the president's daughter. Armageddon wanted Hulk's help in resurrecting his son Trauma with device the the Leader had previously used to bring Marlo back to life. The device needed a very large gamma power source in order to work and he planned on sacrificing Hulk to do it. Bruce said no but Hulk agreed and stepped into the machine. During the process Hulk gave off too much radiation and incinerated Trauma's body. Armageddon agreed to live in peace out of fear of punishment from the Silver Surfer, but after Hulk left he leveled Freehold and killed everyone living there including the gamma beings Jailbait and Hotshot. Bruce was given a secret pardon for his crimes as the Hulk for saving the presidents daughter. Death of Betty Banner Just when everything started going right with the Hulk, Betty nearly died due to gamma radiation poisoning that resulted from her time with the Hulk. Bruce was able to find a cure using his blood in a transfusion. But then she was pushed over the edge by the transfusion when the Abomination secretly switched it with his blood instead as revenge. Bruce went insane and tried to kill himself seconds after Betty was pronounced dead. Doc Samson stopped him but he turned into the Hulk later and escaped from gamma base. He began coming up with elaborate scenarios to kill himself so that Hulk couldn't stop him, but he would always transform seconds before death. With Betty dead and Bruce believed to have killed her General Ross started to hunt the Hulk once more. Bruce figured out the truth behind Betty's death when he went to the home world of the Watcher and was given infinite knowledge. He returned to earth to get revenge on the Abomination but he let him go. Confronting General Ross he told him that they were both to blame for Betty's death. Due to the deteriorating effects of ALS and the chaos ravaging his mindscape, Banner cut a deal with the three dominant Hulk personalities - the Green Hulk, the grey "Joe Fixit" Hulk and the "Professor" Hulk - essentially to time-share their existence, in return for stabilizing his fractured psyche and providing him with release from his disease. The Leader provided the means to cure Bruce. The original Defenders, including Hulk, re-formed when Yandroth surfaced again to menace the world. Though the heroes defeated his plan, Yandroth used his sorcery to levy a deathbed curse upon their heads, binding them to come together in times of crisis. The curse magnified the egos of the cursed quartet, however, until they became mentally unstable. They then became Order, seeking to end all threats to the Earth by taking control of it. Other heroes fought them, and the energies unleashed by the battle were harnessed to resurrect and further empower Yandroth. Coming to their senses, the Defenders stopped fighting, and Yandroth was reduced back to his human form, defeated, and imprisoned. Planet Hulk After the events of the M-Day, Banner sought refugee and peace in Alaska, where he lived as a hermit loosely connected to the town community. He was eventually tracked down by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., who required his help in defeating the Hydra space weapon called the Godseye which could detonate all the nuclear bombs in the world. Sent up as the Hulk, he discovered that the Godseye was actually a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon that could match the strength of any enemy. In the ensuing battle, the Godseye found that though it could try, it could not match the increasing power of the Hulk, and it exploded. ]] A S.H.I.E.L.D. commissioned space shuttle was sent to retrieve the Hulk, or so he believed. Seizing the opportunity to be rid of the Hulk, a group of superheroes known as the Illuminati decided to jettison the shuttle into space, to a planet with no intelligent lifeforms. Unfortunately, there was a navigation error, and the Hulk landed on the planet Sakaar, a world filled with barbarian tribes, gladiator battles and ruled by a corrupt empire. The planet was situated near a portal, which gave it access to several different cultures and technologies. The Hulk was captured to become a gladiator, but he ushered an uprising, overthrowing the current regime. Installing himself as king, the Hulk met and fell in love with a queen named Caiera Oldstrong. Together, they ushered in a new age of peace and prosperity for Sakaar. Caiera became pregnant with the Hulk's child, but died when the shuttle that brought the Hulk to Sakaar suddenly exploded, killing millions of people. Driven to new heights of rage and fury, the Hulk swore revenge against the Illuminati, whom he held responsible for the death of Caiera Oldstrong. He even lashed out against his allies the Warbound, but they managed to calm him down and swore to aid him in his quest for vengeance. The Hulk rode atop the prow of an alien warship as it set course for Earth. This marked the beginning of a series of events that would become colloquially known as "World War Hulk". World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker World War Hulk Reaching the moon, the Hulk defeated the Illuminati member Black Bolt(Who was actually a Skrull impersonating Black Bolt and not the real one.). The Hulk then proceeded to New York City, where he demanded the presence of the Illuminati and that the city be evacuated. As the time limit for the evacuation of New York had passed, Hulk defeated Iron Man and Stark Tower was destroyed in the process. The heroes engaged the Hulk and his Warbound but were defeated. After Hulk became allied with Hercules, Namora, and the Angel, General Thunderbolt Ross called in the U.S. Army to dispatch the green goliath. Despite the army's best efforts, including the use of adamantium bullets, Hulk defeated them. Alongside his Warbound, he transformed an area near Madison Square Garden into a gladiatorial arena. Doctor Strange, mystically invoking a powerful old enemy, Zom, began to battle the Hulk. Barely holding back the demon Zom, Dr.Strange began to exhibit some of the demon's traits. Strange sent the Hulk crashing into a building that crumbled upon himself and the innocent bystanders who had gathered to watch the fight. The Hulk had protected the innocent bystanders. Distraught by his actions almost killing innocents, Dr. Strange stopped fighting, and an uncaring Hulk gave Strange a lesson on control and pummeled him into the ground. After implanting "obedience disks" in all of the captured heroes, the Hulk set Black Bolt, Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange, and Iron Man into the arena. The Hulk had them fight each other. In the end, the Hulk spared them, declaring his intention was for justice and not murder, that nobody would die, and declared that he planned to destroy New York City and leave the Illiminati to their shame. Soon, a nearly insane Sentry arrived on the scene and a cataclysmic battle ensued between him and Hulk. Sentry unleashed forces that nearly destroyed what was left of New York, but ultimately, it was a stalemate between the two. The Hulk then reverted back to Bruce Banner and the Sentry reverted back to Bob Reynolds, and in their human forms Bruce Banner was able to knock out Bob Reynolds. Warbound member Meik impaled the Hulk's longtime friend Rick Jones, and revealed he intentionally allowed the mass deaths on Sakaar, knowing they were caused by former followers of the Red King and not the Illuminati. The Hulk, having reverted back from his Bruce Banner alter ego, and the Brood No-Name battered Miek in retaliation. The betrayed and enraged Hulk unwillingly began releasing energy that threatened the Eastern Seaboard, and prompted Tony Stark to activate a series of satellite devices that opened fire and eventually left the Hulk in his Bruce Banner form unconscious. S.H.I.E.L.D. later imprisoned Banner in a facility three miles underground, with the other Warbound members having been taken into U.S. custody. Meanwhile, on Sakaar, the Hulk's thought-dead son, Skaar, had risen ''World War Hulk'' #5 Red Hulk Incident While Banner was incarcerated at Gamma Base, a new mystery revealed itself when the Abomination was found murdered in his homeland of Russia. A team comprised of Iron Man, General Ross, Samson, She-Hulk and Commander Maria Hill went to investigate only to determine the only possible suspect was the Hulk. The perpetrator soon revealed himself as a massive creature referring to itself as the Red Hulk. This new incarnation of the Hulk decimated the likes of She-Hulk, Iron Man, Rick Jones in his new powered up identity of a creature named A-Bomb, and even Thor.Hulk #5. Banner was set free when the clash between the Red Hulk and A-Bomb caused an earthquake that damaged his prison. The potential threat to Banner's life triggered his transformation into the Green Goliath, and the Hulk wasted no time in confronting his new nemesis. The Hulk, caught unprepared for the Red Hulk's fighting style, was defeated in their first meeting - suffering a broken arm in the process - but the outcome was much different during their second meeting. The Hulk found a potential weakness in the Red Hulk and exploited it. Once the Red Hulk was beaten, the Hulk left before he could find out the Red Hulk's true identity. However, Banner began spending his time trying to track down the Red Hulk before he could do more damage. On his journey, Banner ended up in Las Vegas where the Hulk had to team up with Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and even Brother Voodoo to quell a pack of Wendigos from devouring everyone inside a casino. Hulk No More Sometime later, the Grandmaster came to Hulk with a proposition: if Hulk chose to participate in a game and won, Grandmaster would bring his love, Jarella, back to life. Hulk agreed and was told he could pick a group of allies to aid him in the game. Hulk chose his former teammates in the Defenders: Namor, Silver Surfer, and Doctor Strange. When the time came to meet their opponents, the Collector appeared with the Hulk's nemesis, the Red Hulk, and his team: Baron Mordo, Terrax and Tiger Shark - now known as the Offenders. The Grand Master gave the Savage Hulk Bruce Banner's mind and had each team member transported to the times and places that the hulk had gathered the defenders from. The Hulk battled with the Red Hulk in Atlantis where The Red Hulk pierced the Hulk's heart with a trident. Hulk was eventually revived by the Grand Master and knocked out the Red Hulk with one punch. Afterward Banner was somehow captured by AIM, and was detained underneath Gamma Base to be used too create an Gamma irradiated super soldier program behind Red Hulk, headed by MODOK and backed by General Ross. The plot was uncovered by She Hulk, who was informed by a short haired Doc Sampson. Jennifer recruited reporter Ben Urich to help uncover the truth, who in turn recruited Peter Parker to aid in photography. As they infiltrated the underground base, Sampson revealed he was brainwashed by MODOK and revealed a long haired alter ego, who assaulted She Hulk and alerted AIM and Red Hulk to their presence, fortunately Spider Man appeared and began to fight him. The battle soon interrupted the tank containing Banner, causing him to transform into the Hulk. The Hulk attacked his doppleganger in aid of Spider-Man, as the battle escalated the Hulk bodyslammed his enemy into a Gamma generator in the base. Tired of their endless battles the Red Hulk totally absorbed the radiation that powered the Hulk. As the base reached critical mass the defenseless Bruce Banner was rescued by a now intelligent A-Bomb.The Incredible Hulk 600 Incarnations The Hulk initially is characterized as a separate entity from Bruce Banner, a distillation of his human anger that gradually develops its own personality and memories separate from Banner's. Banner suffers from "multiple personality disorder", which stems from the abuse he suffered as a child. The Hulk has many incarnations, each representing a different aspect of Banner's psyche.Banner has hundreds or possibly thousands of other Hulk personalities. * Bruce Banner - Bruce Banner is the emotionally repressed core personality. Dr. Banner is a genius. Banner can transform into the different versions of the Hulks, whereas his alter egos seem to be able only to transform into Bruce Banner. * Savage Hulk - The Savage Hulk is the most common version of the Hulk though it possesses the mental capacity and temperament of a young child and typically refers to himself in the third person. He often claims that he wants to be left alone. The Savage Hulk is usually depicted as green-skinned and heavily-muscled with a loping, ape-like gait. While in a functionally calm emotional state, or at least as calm as the Hulk can be, the Savage Hulk is capable of lifting about 90 tons. But when Angry capable of lifting well over 100 tons or can become limitless depending the height of his temper *'Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit' - The Gray Hulk (though possibly not the original) worked for a time as a Las Vegas enforcer called "Joe Fixit". The Gray Hulk has average intelligence, although he occasionally displays knowledge and intellectual ability normally associated with Banner. He is cunning, crafty, hedonistic, arrogant, and distant, with a hidden conscience. In most of Las Vegas appearances, he appears only at night. According to the Leader, the Gray Hulk persona is strongest during the night of the new moon and weakest during the full moon. This aversion to sun/moon light vanished when the Gray Hulk's night-induced transformation trigger was later removed. Although he is the smallest of the Hulks, the Gray Hulk towers over the average human. He prefers to dress in tailored suits. Joe Fixit's base strength level is also the lowest of the three primary Hulk incarnations. While in a functionally calm emotional state, Joe Fixit is able to lift about 70 tons. *'The Merged Hulk/The Professor' - The Merged Hulk is the merger of Banner and the Savage and Gray Hulks. The Merged Hulk was later retconned into The Professor. The Professor, rather than being a merger of the three core personalities, was interpreted as a fourth, separate personality that represented Banner's ideal self. The primary difference between the two is that the Merged Hulk demonstrated aspects of the Banner, Gray Hulk and Savage Hulk personalities (also possessing Banner's intelligence, Joe Fixit's cunning, and the Savage Hulk's size and strength), while the Professor did not. The Merged Hulk was even prone to uttering "Hulk will smash!", which was the Savage Hulk's most common catch phrase. The Merged Hulk was an associate and leader of the team of superheroes called the Pantheon. Despite his exaggerated musculature, the Merged Hulk had a relatively normal looking face, resembling that of Banner. The Professor personality was defined during writer Paul Jenkins' run as a "revelation" that the Merged Hulk was not actually a merger of the three personalities but rather a separate personality altogether. Unlike the Merged Hulk, the Professor was physically distinguished by having a pony tail, which the Merged Hulk did not. Jenkins justified this by retconning into the Hulk's continuity a new character named Angela Lipscomb (modeled after Jenkins' own girlfriend) who knew more about Bruce Banner than even Doc Samson. Lipscomb confronted Samson with her observations of the Professor and Doc Samson validated them, despite events presented in previous issues to the contrary. The Professor is the largest of the three primary Hulk incarnations and he also possesses a higher base strength level. While in a calm emotional state, the Professor is capable of lifting about 100 tons. However, unlike the other Hulk incarnations, Bruce Banner subconsciously installed a type of safeguard within the Professor. When the Professor's anger reaches a certain level, he will transform back into Bruce Banner, though with the mind and personality of the Savage Hulk. Due to this safegard, the Professor is ultimately the weakest of the three primary Hulk incarnations despite being the physically largest. *'The Maestro' - The Maestro is a version of the Hulk from a future timeline when he has conquered mankind after it had already been brought to the brink of extinction through nuclear warfare. The Maestro's green skin is darker than that of the other green skinned incarnations, and his hair is gray and balding on top. Due to the increased radiation from nuclear fall-out, the Maestro is significantly stronger than the Merged Hulk (as demonstrated in the "Hulk: Future Imperfect" mini-series), and his strength still increases with rage, making him more powerful still. Creator Peter David has stated on his various message boards that the Maestro was intended to be simply an insane evil alternate version of his Merged Hulk and not a separate personality within Banner. The Maestro's base strength level is considerably greater than that of the other primary Hulk incarnations, including his younger self. The Maestro's body absorbed the ambient radiation of the nuclear fallout, dramatically increasing his strength. While calm, the Maestro can lift well over 100 tons. *'Mindless Hulk' - Nightmare, in an attempt to find new ways to hurt his enemy Doctor Strange by going through his friends, penetrated Bruce Banner's mind and discovered his influence had an unexpected side effect; a new personality began to develop out of Banner's worst visions of the Hulk. At this period in Banner's life, he had just gained control over the Hulk's body, but was constantly on alert and terrified this was just temporarily, and that the Hulk, which he saw as nothing but a savage and destructive beast, would break free once more when the world least expected it. Far from being identical with the original Hulk, this version was based on a nightmarish imagination made of all of Banner's worst fears and ideas of his former alter ego. Nightmare continued to manipulate and increase his influence, allowing this dark incarnation to gradually rise to the surface. It finally became its own personality after Banner made his "psychic suicide", allowing it to break free of Banner's domination. Eventually, with the assistance of three creatures created by his subconscious, (Glow, Goblin, and Guardian), this Hulk gained the ability to speak and behave much less savagely. Since then, this personality has not been seen again, and it has been suggested that it is no longer a part of Banner's personality. A part of the Hulk, with the assistance of Doctor Strange, entered the Dimension of Nightmare as a similar manifestation as Mindless Hulk, threatening to kill him. Nightmare was forced to seek out Spider-Man's help, as this Hulk was destroying the whole domain. Spider-Man eventually pushed the Hulk into another realm, but he pulled Nightmare in with him. Nightmare has since been seen still alive, but this Hulk seems to have disappeared. While calm, the Mindless Hulk can lift well over 100 tons. *'The Guilt Hulk' - Known as "The Beast", the Guilt Hulk is another of Bruce Banner's personas, though this one created by his regret. The Guilt Hulk originally manifested itself in Banner's mind as his father and tormented him by forcing him to relive memories of his traumatic childhood. Eventually, the Guilt Hulk was defeated by Banner himself. The Guilt Hulk later returned after Betty's death, albeit much more powerful because of Banner's emotionally fractured state. After brutally beating the Professor and Joe Fixit, the Guilt Hulk was eventually subdued again by the Savage Hulk. Due to its monstrous size, the Guilt Hulk was physically very powerful. It also possessed claws and spikes all over its body. The Guilt Hulk also showed the ability to breathe fire on one occasion. *'Devil Hulk' - The Devil Hulk is the malevolent personality of Bruce Banner, personifying all of Banner's resentment at the way he is treated by the world. He is also one of the Hulk's enemies, constantly threatening to escape confinement in Banner's mind and destroy the world at this point, but escaped a short while afterwards when the machinations of General Ryker shattered the barriers keeping the Devil Hulk imprisoned. Fortunately, he was contained long enough for a cure for Banner's condition to be found, before finally being contained in Banner's subconscious by Banner, the Savage Hulk and Joe Fixit; the Professor Hulk remaining out in the real world to help scientists such as Doctor Samson and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four find a cure for the disease. It is assumed that while calm, the Devil Hulk can lift well over 100 tons. The Green Scar The Hulk of World War Hulk is a cunning and more powerful version than the previous incarnations, for he is the insanely enraged version of the "Gravage Hulk". His rage is at its most focused, due to meditation training by his ally Hiroim. This incarnation has extremely high durability, as evidenced by his ability to withstand Black Bolt's voice (Later revealed to be a Super Skrull impostor and not the real Black Bolt), whereas the Savage Hulk could not. He has had training in combat arms, including broadswords, spears, and battle shields, and is a capable leader and strategist. Another source of the Green Scar's strength in comparison to other versions is his lack of inner conflict, if not alliance, with Bruce Banner. Several instances have been shown where the Hulk and Banner have worked together strategically; most recently to disable Dr Strange. Caiera, the Green Scar's wife, understood Banner as well, and both personalities loved her equally. This is seen as the driving factor in the Banner/Hulk alliance. As a result of being caught in the explosion of the warp core of his ship which brought him to Sakaar, which destroyed the planet, Green Scar's base level of strength was dramatically increased. He can lift well over 100 tons in a functionally calm emotional state. During a recent burst of an unexplained anger in New York City, Professor X had attempted to slow down the angered beast with intense power, however the Hulk had proven to be resistant to the psionic effects of the professor. citation needed | Powers = *'Superhuman Strength': The Hulk possesses the capacity for vast levels of physical strength.The entity Beyonder once stated that the Hulk's potential strength is limitless Secret Wars vol 2. #8 .His strength has being further described as near-limitless The Incredible Hulk vol. 3, #109-#111 (Oct.-Dec. 2007).However, each of the "core" Hulk personalities possesses a base strength level. While in a functionally calm state, the Gray Hulk is capable of lifting 70 tons, the Savage Hulk can lift about 90 tons, and the Merged Hulk can lift about 100 tons. The incarnation sometimes referred to as "Green Scar" is the physically strongest of all the primary Hulk incarnations. After being exposed to energies from the exploding warp core of the ship that originally brought him to Sakaar, his base strength level was dramatically increased. While in a "calm" state, Green scar was capable of lifting over 100 tons.However,while in an enraged state,adrenaline surges through the Hulk's body, increasing his strength considerably beyond his base limits. For example, during the Secret Wars, he was seen effectively using leverage to support the enclave he and the other heroes were trapped in under the 150 billion ton mountain, which was dropped on them by the Molecule Man until the heroes buried inside could find a way to blast their way out. The Hulk also seems to be stronger with the more radiation he absorbs, which is the main reason why Maestro from the future has become stronger than the present Hulk. It should be noted that an extremely enraged Savage Hulk (While he assumed the identity of Maestro.) was capable of stalemating Thor in hand to hand combat while Thor was in a state refereed to as "Warrior's Madness" that amplified his strength tenfold, but during that time, Thor was extremely sick to the point he was mortal/powerless (Because of the Yggdrasil World Engine.), and by some miracle, was able to regain only a portion of his powers right before the fight hence why he needed such a large power up just to stalemate this enraged version of the Hulk Incredible Hulk #440. He was able do destroy an asteroid twice the size of earth Marvel Comics Presents #52 ,cracked Onslaught's armor ''Onslaught:Marvel Universe'', and even destroyed an entire cosmo IH#126. *'Superhuman Stamina': The Hulk's body counteracts fatigue poisons that build up in his muscles during physical activity. In an enraged state, the Hulk is capable of exerting himself at peak capacity for several days before fatigue begins to affect him. However, much like his physical strength, the Hulk's stamina does increase as he becomes angrier. *'Superhuman Durability': In addition to great strength, the Hulk's body possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. The Hulk's skin is capable of withstanding extreme heat without blistering, extreme cold without freezing, and great impacts. His skin is strong enough to stop high caliber bullets without peircing it. The Hulk has withstood the impact of a ground zero nuclear explosion and the full force of the the Human Torch's Nova Blast, which is said to have a maximum temperature of 1,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit, without sustaining injury.He has also withstood the equivalent of inner solar temperaturesFantastic Four #435 (2006); World War Hulk #2 (2007); Incredible Hulk Annual 1997 , and planet-splitting impacts Marvel Comics Presents #52; Silver Surfer vol. 2, #125; Iron Man Vol.2 #19 (2007) . The Hulk's durability, like his strength, is fueled by rushes of adrenaline while angry. *'Regenerative Healing Factor': Despite his high resistance to physical injury, it is possible to cause the Hulk injury. The Hulk is capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed areas of his body with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Wounds that would be deadly to most other beings takes just a short time for the Hulk to recover. During a battle with Vector, he repelled all of the skin off of the Hulk leaving just exposed flesh and muscle. It took the Hulk minutes to regain the mass and be completely healed. During a battle with Speedfreak, he cut the Hulk's stomach open with adamantium blades. The Hulk had to hold his stomach to prevent his insides from spilling out. Within minutes the wound had healed, but unfortunately the skin had healed around part of the Hulk's fingers. He had to rip his fingers out of his stomach and allow it to heal again. *'Superhuman Speed': Regardless of his size Hulk's superhumanly strong legs allow him to run at speeds that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete. However this speed does not grant him any enhanced reflexes or agility as smaller foes exploit his size and use it as to their advantage. *'Resistance to Psychic Control': In many instances, the Hulk has demonstrated great mental resistance due to his rage and the multiple personalities inside his mind. Defenders Vol.1, #12 (February 1974); The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #259 (May 1981); Cable Vol.1, #34 (1996); World War Hulk: X-Men #1 (2007) *'Immunity to All Diseases': The Hulk is immune to all known Earth-based diseases, including AIDS. He can operate under intense conditions for extended periods of time due to his body not developing fatigue toxins quickly. *'Superhuman Leaping Ability': The Hulk is able to use his highly developed leg muscles to leap great distances. While calm, he is capable of leaping roughly 3 miles. However, as he becomes enraged, his strength increases considerably, which means he can jump much farther than usual. On more than one occasion, the Hulk has nearly jumped into orbit. The Hulk has also been known to cover a distance of 1,000 miles with a single leap. *'Enhanced Lung Capacity': The size and strength of the Banner's lungs, like the rest of his body, are increased when he transforms into the Hulk. On a single good inhalation of air, Hulk can last hours--perhaps even days--without needing to take another one. This makes it possible for him to spend an extended period of time in outer space, or under the ocean. The Hulk has also used his lung capacity as an offensive weapon in several instances by inhaling, and then blowing the air back out at high speeds. *'Adaptation to Hostile Environments': There have been several instances in the past where Hulk has not only spent extended periods of time underwater or in oxygen-less outer space without suffocating, but he has also moved his mouth and spoken in these environments. It appears that the Hulk's body is able to adapt itself to new inhospitable environments when necessary. Like his healing factor, it is believed that this ability is also fueled by his rage and the madder the Hulk is, the quicker the Hulk's body will adapt. *'Underwater Breathing': The Hulk has been seen on the ocean floor a number of times and is able to breathe due to his body developing a gland which creates an oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion which fills his lungs and equalizes the pressure. He is therefore able to breathe fluid and avoid decompression and nitrogen narcosis. Transformation: Previously, this mutation was not a stable one. The Hulk would periodically revert to the human form of Bruce Banner, losing the extra mass and energy to the same as yet unknown source from which he derived it. The process by which Banner usually transforms into the Hulk presumably has a chemical catalyst, adrenalin (a.k.a. epinephrine). As in normal human beings, Banner's adrenal medulla secretes large amounts of adrenalin in time of fear, rage or stress, which hormonally stimulates the heart rate, raises blood-sugar levels and inhibits sensations of fatigue. Whereas the secretion heightens normal physical abilities in normal human beings, in Banner's case it triggers the complex chemical-extra-physical process that transforms him into the Hulk. The total transformation takes anywhere from seconds to 5 minutes, depending on the initial adrenalin surge, which is determined by the original stimulus. Soon after the transformation, the amount of adrenalin in the Hulk will return to more normal, reduced levels. However, there were instances in which Banner became the Hulk without any discernible increase in heart rate or adrenal levels, suggesting that the true trigger mechanism into the Hulk is far more psychological than physical. Extrasensory Perception: *'Astral Form Perception': The Hulk has the unique ability of being able to see "astral forms"--or ghosts. This power has come in handy when working with his fellow Defender, Dr. Strange, who is able to leave his body in an usually invisible, ghost-like state known as an astral form. Banner subconsciously feared his father's ghost would come back to haunt him, Hulk developed this mechanism to allow him to look out for him. Recent events have shown that the power to see astral forms may now extend to Bruce Banner. However, it was suggested the clarity of the astral forms is diminished when compared to the Hulk's ability to view them. The Hulk's ability to see astral forms may go beyond just seeing individual spirits. Hulk experienced a whole town in the middle of the desert that faded away into nothing. While it is possible it was merely a mirage, the issue suggests it is possible Hulk was able to see a town that didn't exist in our plane of reality that no one else could see. *'Homing Ability': The Hulk also has a seemingly mystical homing ability that enables him to locate the area in New Mexico where he first became the Hulk. This extends even if he is in another dimension. An image of the Maestro explained to Bruce that the reason he was able to do that was because the Maestro's spirit was there, calling to him. However, since the Maestro was resurrected the Hulk has continued to return to the gamma bomb site, suggesting that there is more to his ability than merely the Maestro's spirit.This homing ability has also been used to find people on a rare occasion. For example, the Hulk was able to dig a tunnel underground exactly in the direction of Onslaught, to which the Vision noted that the Hulk's sense of direction "borders on the supernatural." While it is possible that Onslaught was mentally leading the Hulk to him, there were other instances of Hulk demonstrating this ability. Hulk's instincts led him to Rick Jones and Betty and the Hulk located the Abomination with no prior knowledge of his whereabouts. Gamma Radiation/Energy Manipulation and Emission: Not usually a power associated with the Hulk, but there is a sufficient amount of evidence that the Hulk possesses at least a limited ability to manipulate forms of energy, most particularly gamma radiation. The Hulk one time grabbed an energy shield and twisted it as though it were solid. The Hulk was also able to redirect massive amounts of gamma radiation using his bare hands in. The Hulk's body also acts as a "gamma battery" by constantly creating and radiating gamma energy. At one time Armageddon wanted to use the Hulk's own energy to power machines capable of bringing his son back to life. However, the Hulk outsmarted him by consciously force feeding his own energy into the machines at a rate too fast for them to handle and they promptly overloaded and exploded.He also emitted large amounts of gamma radiation at the end of World War Hulk arc.The extent to which Hulk controls his own energy, and foreign sources of energy, is only determined by his anger. | Abilities = Dr. Bruce Banner is a genius in nuclear physics, possessing a mind so brilliant that it cannot be measured by any known intelligence test Hulk: The Incredible Guide. When Banner is the Hulk, Banner's consciousness is buried within the Hulk's, and can influence the Hulk's behavior only to a very limited extent. | Strength = Class 100+ ; the Hulk is one of the physically strongest beings ever to walk the earth. He possesses vast superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) far in excess of 100 tons. In human form Bruce Banner possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in no regular exercise. | Weaknesses = Adamantium has been shown capable of piercing his skin when in World War Hulk, Wolverine and X-23's claws could pierce it. | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | OtherMedia = Hulk (Toy) Toy Biz Marvel Legends Series 1 While working at a nuclear research facility, scientist Bruce Banner was accidentally caught in a gamma bomb explosion. The blast transformed him into the monstrous, rampaging Hulk, a creature with childlike intelligence and superhuman strength, which he often directs against those that would threaten him or other innocent beings. Ever since, when enraged, Banner turns into the Hulk and stays that way until the raging giant calms down and reverts to his normal human form. Description from ML packaging. Planet Hulk Hulk (Toy) Hasbro Marvel Legends Series 1 Blasted away from Earth by a conspiracy of Earth's heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D., the HULK falls through a wormhole and arrives on the planet Sakkaar - a savage world of barbarian tribes ruled by a corrupt Empire. He gladly enters the gladiatorial arenas of Sakkaar, accepting all the benefits that victory entails. Known as the "Green Scar," he gathers around himself a trusted cabal of warriors, each sworn to the other. Disgusted by the fear and hatred of those weaker than himself, Hulk is done with peace, done with justice, done with heroism. Now, he fights for glory, and for the lives of his warbound brothers in the arena. Description from ML packaging. Hulk has starred in two cartoons of his own, one in 1982 and one in 1996. He also guest-stars in the Secret Wars storyline of Spider-Man: The Animated Series and one episode of the 1994 Fantastic Four series, as well as playing a role in both Ultimate Avengers movies. | Notes = *Banner currently is a citizen of the United States under a special pardon. *Banner's identity is publicly known, however, the public does not know Joe Fixit was the Hulk. * Hulk was initially grey-colored but as the gamma radiation raged through his body, was eventually turned green. The Hulk has reverted back to his grey skin tone a couple of times. * Through the transformation from Banner to the Hulk, his jeans or pants are the only item of clothing to sustain the sheer forces in muscular explosion. Enemies * Constrictor * Chameleon *Dragon Man * Cobalt Man (Ralph Roberts) * Anvil * M.O.D.O.K. * Hammer ** Collector * General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross * Enchantress * Executioner (Skurge) * Rhino :*Mister Fantastic * Doctor Doom :*The Thing * Juggernaut * U-Foes ** X-Ray (James Darnell) ** Vapor (Ann Darnell) ** Vector (Simon Utrecht) ** Ironclad (Michael Steel) * Tyrannus *Titanium Man (Gremlin) * Galaxy Master * Man-Thing * Glob (Joseph Timms) * Leader * Abomination * Mole Man *Wendigo (Paul Cartier) * Super-Humanoid * Red Hulk | Trivia = * In Hulk: The Incredible Guide, Stan Lee reveals the Hulk was based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as Frankenstein. * Lou Ferrigno starred in the television series of the same name as the titular character opposite Bill Bixby who portrayed the Bruce Banner persona. * In the television series, Banner's first name was changed to David on the concern that Bruce was considered too "effeminate". * Australian actor, Eric Bana, portrayed the Hulk in the 2003 film version directed by Ang Lee. * After helping to oust Morvanian dictator Draxon, the Hulk was presented with an amulet declaring him as the legal ruler of Morvania. The Hulk had little interest in such an appellation however, and left the country after crushing the amulet. Incredible Hulk (Volume 1) #134 * Stan Lee never intended The Hulk's identity to be Robert Bruce Banner. Stan ran the first issues with Bruce Banner than mistakenly ran some more with Bob Banner. Notified of his mistake he announced the name of the Hulk's alter ego was Robert Bruce Banner. * While the Hulk was intended to be the physically strongest character in Marvel, Stan Lee admitted that the creation of Thor was to make a character who was "stronger than the Hulk, and smarter than Reed Richards, in a godly wisdom aspect." The subject over which titular hero is the strongest is the source of many debates between comic book fans. | Links = *Fantastic Four #12 - First fight with the Thing *Tales of Suspense #49 - Cameo Appearance as Doctor Bruce Banner. Seen working in his lab in New Mexico. *Amazing Spider-Man #14 - First Encounter with Spider-Man in a cave somewhere in New Mexico. *World War Hulk: World Breaker #1 - Prologue to "World War Hulk" * Incredible Hulk cover art gallery * Marvel Directory - Hulk * Official webpage at marvel.com * Official Marvel UK Store * Marvel Picture Store * A fan site with extensive Hulk information * Radical Entertainment's Hulk Games website * One of Stan Lee's Best-Article on the Incredible Hulk's Popularity * Hulk's Blog * The Hulk Library * Gamma Base - An Online Hulk Resource * The 1982 Incredible Hulk Cartoon @ Toon Zone * DRG4's Incredible Hulk the Animated Series Page (1996) * Hulk Angry Incredible Hulk fan site with wallpaper fan art section and comic book covers starting at the 1962 number one issue. * Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards * HulkNews.com - Featuring the latest news, reviews and information on all things Hulk * Hulk: "Lonely Man" Fan comic with CG artwork. * The Incredible Hulk Message Board * Hulk: The Incredible Guide *Toybiz archive *Marvel Legends }} Category:Toys Category:Gamma Ray Exposure Category:Pantheon members Category:Titans Three members Category:Secret Defenders members Category:Horsemen of Apocalypse Category:Warbound members Category:Strength Class 100 Category:Regeneration Category:Superhuman Stamina Category:Geniuses Category:Energy Senses Category:Adaptation Category:Underwater Breathing Category:Toxic Immunity Category:Leaping Category:Emotional Consistency Category:Captain Universe Category:Invulnerability